Found February 01, 2012 on
Fox Sports:
Sunday night/Monday morning's six-hour Australian Open final had something for everyone.
It was like a multi-genre blockbuster movie that would appeal to all the masses from the horror fanatics to the chick-flick lovers and everyone in between. The first set was for the tacticians of the game.
Rafael Nadal stepped onto the court a different man from the one who lost the last six finals to Novak Djokovic. He was way closer to the baseline, he was trying to pounce on the Serb's serve, and he was attempting to hit the ball as hard as he possibly could.
While Nadal is known for his genius in constructing points, the Spaniard had failed in doing so last year against the world No.1, who has no noticeable weaknesses for his opponent to exploit.
So instead Nadal was trying to get in the rallies early on, and although the first set was error-strewn from both, the world No.2 was using the correct tactics, to try and trouble a player, who is virtually impossible to trouble at the moment. The Mallorcan mastermind, although far from flawless in his execution, succeeded in taking the first set courtesy of his perfect plan. Kind of like the guys from Ocean's 11.
The third set was all about pure domination. Djoker had regained his stronghold on Rafa and had finally found his shots - shots that had abandoned him since his quarter-final against David Ferrer. He was back to bullying Nadal all around the court, as he pushed up his first serve percentage and dazzled with his punishing return game. Think Terminator without Schwarzenegger's muscles.
The fourth set was a classic feel-good comeback story where the underdog (which let's face it Nadal is against Djokovic) fought for his life and managed to come out on top. Djokovic was two points away from winning the title in that tie-break but somehow Nadal pulled off the impossible. That's what almost every sports movie ever made is all about.
The fifth set was Gladiator meets Superman. If Nadal is Maximus, then Djokovic is Clark Kent - after all, the level of tennis, determination and mental strength the world No.1 exhibited Sunday night is nothing short of superhuman.
Nadal not long ago, was the ultimate fighter on Tour, Djokovic not only dethroned him as No1 last year, but has officially taken Nadal's place as the toughest competitor in the world of tennis.
As for the history lovers, this match has etched its name in the history books, shattering records and overshadowing all memories we might have of any other tennis classic.
The best thing is, this movie has plenty of sequels coming up this year. We're in for quite a ride!
Original Story:
http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story...
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February 02, 2012








